All information in this
article is for educational purposes only.It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any
disease or health condition.

SMOOTHIES AND SHAKES

I do not recommend
smoothies or shakes.As I observe
more and more clients – over 40,000 – I am more convinced that most
smoothies are very harmful, particularly for the digestive tract.Here is why:

1. Too much sugar in many cases. Most smoothies include fruit, fruit juices, honey, agave
nectar, almond milk or other milks, or other sweeteners.These all upset digestion and blood
sugar, and are too yin (see below).They also encourage the growth of yeasts in the intestines, and perhaps
other parasitic organisms.For
this reason, they contribute to gas and bloating in many people.

2. Too yin – sweet, cold, blended and raw.We find that to heal the intestinal
tract, which is absolutely necessary for overall healing, one must avoid all
yin foods and yin supplements as much as possible.

Unfortunately, smoothies are all very
yin.That is, they usually contain
sweeteners that are yin, and raw food that is yin, cold items that are more yin
than warmed, cooked food, and blended combinations that are far more yin or
broken up than simple, whole cooked foods.

3. Poor food combinations.Many smoothies are very poor food combinations consisting of sugars,
fruits, protein powders and perhaps other things all blended together.For best digestion, simple meals of one
or two foods are far better.Eat
more meals, if needed, to obtain all your nutrients and foods but do not eat
complex food combinations as they are all hard to digest.

4. Food extracts not usually as good as whole foods.The use of food extracts such as protein
powders, no matter how good they are, are not as good as whole foods in their
nutrient content in almost all cases.Have a lightly cooked eggs instead of egg or whey protein powder, for
example.

5. Too much liquid. Having liquids of any kind with meals is never a good idea
because it competes with and interferes with the production and action of
hydrochloric acid in the stomach, as well as the amylase digestive enzymes in
the mouth.

It is okay to have a little water to
swallow supplements with meals, but all smoothies contain too much liquid,
which may severely interferes with digestion and utilization of all nutrients.

When to have smoothies or shakes or frappes.The only times I recommend smoothies
are for a few children who absolutely will not eat cooked vegetables or take
their vitamins.

SOUPS

I
only recommend soups occasionally, and only if they are thick.They contain too much liquid, in almost
all cases.This interferes with
digestion.

If you like soup,
have an occasional bowl of thick soup, with as little water in it as possible.
Otherwise, eat cooked vegetables not in the form of soups.

PUREED MEALS

Pureed
cooked vegetables means that after cooking the vegetables, you put them in a
food processor or use a hand blender to mash them up.This does not require adding any water.Blending with a regular blender
requires adding water, and this is not a good idea.

The only time I
suggest pureed vegetables are:

1. For a child who
will not eat whole vegetables.

2. For a person who
cannot chew for some reason.This
includes babies.

3. For preparing food
for animals such as dogs, who may require that food be mashed up to make it
more palatable.

JUICES

Many
people today enjoy juicing vegetables or fruits.Juices provide a lot of nutrients in an easy-to-eat format.

Problems
with juicing are:

1. Raw food is very
yin to being with.Breaking it up
to make juice makes the food even more yin.This is quite harmful, no matter how excellent the nutrition
it provides.

2. Juices are often
bad food combinations, unless it just the juice of one or two vegetables.For example, combining a vegetable with
a fruit is generally not a good food combination.This is always hard on the digestion.

3. Sweet juices will
upset blood sugar in many people.

4. The large amount
of liquid in all juices will upset digestion if the juice is combined with
other food, or if the juice mixture contains something that requires more
digestion.

Carrot Juice.For all
these reasons, the only juices I suggest are:

1. Either 10 ounces of carrot juice only for adults.You can put a green leaf or two in with
the carrot juice, but that is all.

2. One or two ounces of wheat grass juice.

Carrots are quite
yang because they are roots, and because they are red in color.They contain an excellent form of
calcium that many people need.The
carrot juice is best made fresh, but it can also be bought at the store and it
will keep in the refrigerator for two days.

Wheat grass juice
also contains this calcium compound, along with many other nutrients.Wheat grass juice is best made
fresh.I do not recommend the
tablets or capsules of dried juices.